As I took a(nother) turn through the Psalms recently and came upon Psalm 66, my attention was caught by a parallel that we see in that chapter. The specific verses were 5 – “Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.” – and verse 16 – “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.” I’ve been thinking about the implications of those two calls, both to draw near or approach, but one to see and one to hear.
It would appear, based on this, that the wondrous and awesome deeds of the Lord are sometimes, but not always, visible. There are clearly evident ways in which He has obviously cared for, provided for, and protected His people; one has only to page through the book of Exodus, Joshua, 1 Samuel, or Acts (to name only a few) or the annals of church history to see the miraculous ways in which God displays His care for those whom He has called to be His. There are less obvious ways in which He demonstrates that same care and providence though, the works which He has wrought in our souls, the interior remodeling and refashioning as He reorders our affections and priorities, making us more and more into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I see here two points for growth: 1, to have eyes to see where the Lord is visibly working in the world around us. It almost definitely doesn’t look like the sea turning into dry land, but He hasn’t walked off and left the world to spin itself into utter chaos. He’s still on His throne and still working, in visible ways, for the good of His people and the accomplishment of His purposes. Much of the time, though, I’m afraid that my eyes – and mind – simply aren’t looking for His hand at work.
The other point for growth is that there’s not only a call to hear, but an implicit call to speak of what the Lord is doing in our souls. I would, of course, advocate for wisdom and discretion in choosing when and with whom to share these things, but the community of believers around us can’t hear what the Lord is doing if we’re not speaking those words. I think we have a responsibility to both inquire of our fellow church members and believing friends how the Lord is working in their lives, and also a responsibility to answer honestly – though maybe vaguely at times – when we ourselves are asked.
One of these aspects of heeding the call to come and hear, come and see, or come and speak is likely to be far more difficult than the others, but the Lord is faithful and His Spirit enables us to follow through on His commands.